Haines Highway to Alaska June 6th, 2015 I am repeating myself but once again the drive from Haines Junction, Yukon to Haines, Alaska has some stunningly beautiful landscapes. But it also has an incredible diversity of landscapes. The boreal landscape has ice clear rivers, turquoise lakes and forests ranging from the dark green of the spruce to the soft green of the willows and aspens. Then you climb into the sub alpine brown and barren, still trying to shed itself of the winter snow with cold icy winds blowing. All of a sudden you are descending into the lush green rain forests of the Pacific coast. And all of this in about a 200 km distance. Sign outside of Haines Junction.
Klukshu – This was a traditional salmon fishing village but for reasons unknown the stocks of salmon in the river have disappeared.
This is Million Dollars Falls. There is a nice campground here and a series of stairs that take you above the falls.
Not only was the landscape diverse, we went from the Yukon to northern British Columbia to Alaska.
Tatshenshini Alsek Park is part of the UESCO World Heritage sight along with Kluane National Park and Ellis – St Elias in Alaska.
Stunning views of the Tatshenini Alsek Park
Getting a closer look of the mountains.
The sub-alpine approaching the summit – highest point of the Haines Highway. It was June 6th but there were still streaks of snow on the ground and an icy wind was blowing.
The landscape was dotted with “pots” of water and streams from the snow melt on the mountains.
We hit a patch of heavy rain with a few ice pellets mixed in.
The road climbs steadily to 1070 meters – the summit of the Haines Highway
Then we headed down and into the rainforest of the Pacific northwest of Alaska.
The forests were a lush green with much taller pine forests than the boreal forest of the Yukon. Happy family of swans!
Chilkat River Alaska – traditional salmon fishing.
Traditional salmon “trap”.
Stunning views,you lucky ducks!
Barbacheco